Method and composition for producing a cold glaze having a dispersing agent therein



Patented Nov. 5, 1935 Examiner UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND COMPOSITION FOR PRO- DUCING A COL DISPERSING HAVING A IN Victor P. Krauss, Flushing, N. Y., assignor to American Kerament Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application March 5, 1932, Serial No. 597,094

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to a glazing composition and method of making, and more particularly to a composition and process for glazing building materials and the like without the apglazing composition and applying the same to building materials and the like, whereby the foregoing objects and advantages will be attained.

Other and further objects of the invention will plication of high temperatures. be obvious upon an understanding of the illus- 5 In general, it is desirable to glaze building matrative embodiment about to be described; and terials, such as bricks, tile, terra cotta, building many advantages other than those referred to blocks, cement articles, and other products, to herein will occur to one skilled in the art up provide a glossy surface and to give an attractive employment of the invention in P e- 10 appearance thereto. One way of obtaining the In a mp i h the a v num rat d j ts. 10

glaze is to subject the coated building materials to high temperatures in kilns, to vitrify the coating. The most serious objection to this method is the cost of firing the articles. Cold processes, in

I prefer to combine a metallic soap with adisersing agent containing an ammonium salt of an organic acid, and then mixing the resulting pro uc Wlb pulverized cement materials, and

hi t glaze is bt ined without firing, have secondary substances sucmring materials, 15 been developed, but these have not been entirely Pig e y ne, amorphous, aha W y satisfactory. Difiiculties are encountered due to P h eelleidal Silica ahafiihceous COmFOImdS, the fact that the material used in such glazes is and inorganic suB's'tances prac 10a 2 inso u le lIl not of satisfactory purity and texture, and has Water, and ot diree y reacting With t e Cement a tendency to form agglomerates, which results comp e s 0 t glaze I have found that the 20 in a glaze coating wherein the particles are not a de d Se of his laze mix ure is uniformly distributed to produce a smooth, homop imarily du t a i s with, a d in th pr geneous surface, ence of the water, which is facilitated by thor- The present invention aims to overcome the u h wetting of t particles The isp s above objections and disadvantages by providagent facilitates faster and better surface wetting ing an improved glazing composition and cold of the pa whereby e eaeffo ris afe more process for applying the composition, to form a rapid d complete, to P e a better glaze more glossy and attractive surface having charcoating. This applies not only to the active priacteristics of hardness, durability, and resistance y ma e namely, the cement, but also to to moisture and weathering. The glaze coating the secondary Substances ed t ewith. described herein is particularly applicable to F r ampl I av found a a calcium s ap building materials having acement'bas'efbut can gives very satisfactory results, since it can Be beapplied to other construction materials, and ma ac u w u d fi ulty nd at a low the like, to accomplish advantageous results. cost and reacts favorably in the P e ce o (HS- An object of the present invention is to propersing agents, which will be described herein- 35 irregularities in the glaze.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved process of cold glazing, wherein the necessity of firing or the application of heat at high temperatures is eliminated.

A further object of the invention consists in simplifying the process for manufacturing the after. Calcium soap may be made in the conventional manner, by saponifying or other fatty acid, with caustic a a1i, and adding a'iial'ciumsalt to the soap solution whereby the Esnium radical will displace the alkali radical of 40 the soap. This reaction is known as double decomposition, and the products thereof are a calcium soap and a salt of the alkali metal. For example, the calcium soap may be made by saponi- I carried out in the presence of a dispersing agent, whereby the texture of the metallic soap will be greatly improved, and the particles will be finer and of more uniform size.

5 I have found, in addition to stearates, compounds of other fatty acids, especially almitates and oleates can be used satisfactorily, either separately or as mixtures. They may be combined with any of the metals which form compounds with fatty acids, commonly designated as soaps, which are practically insoluble in water. For general manufacturing purposes, where availability and cost are important factors, salts of aluminum, barium, iron, magnesium, zinc an e 1 e are also suitable for'this process. Mixtures, both as to the metals and the acids as single compounds, may be used for the process, and the mixtures may be either made in one continuous batch operation or by blending after formation of the single compounds.

I have discovered that certain ammonium C compounds of organic acids, are particularly adapted to Be utilized as H1spersin a ents. The primary function of the dispersing agents is to improve the quality of the glaze by effecting homogeneous distribution and greater dispersion of the particles therein. In addition, the dispersing agent also acts as a catal st in the presence of the soaps, to improve their reactions both in formation and combination with the other substances during the hardening of the glaze. As

a dispersing agent, I prefer to use the ammonium compounds bfb'rganic acids such as tannic, gallic, oleic, 'stearic, linolic, and the like, with a small excess of ammonia added thereto. Various commercial extracts of vegetable origin, which contain relatively large amounts orbrganic acid,

such as catechu or cutch, sumac, oak bark, and

the like, are suitable for this purpose.

The colorin materials best adapted for the gpresen process are chiefly inorganic compounds, such as the oxides and hydra 0x1 es 0 me a s and other metallic com ounds, and refined natural earth pigments. Organic colors can also be 45 used, But care must be taken in se ecting these as to type, manipulation, and reaction upon exposure. A large variety of colors is available, since firing of the glaze is eliminated and color changes at high temperatures are obviated.

0 The following is an example of a preferred procedure for manufacturing the glazing composi tion described above. The exact quantities of the ingredients vary according to the specific substances selected, and can be readily deter- 55 mined from generally known and available data.

The fatty acid is first saponified with caustic alkali in The conventional manner, and water; is

added to bring the concentration to between five and eight per cent, and one-quarter to two per 80 cent of dispersing substance is mixed therewith. Precipitation is then carried on with a solution of a metallic salt, such as the gl lgride orsul; phate of the met al selected. The insoluble soap whiclfis precipitated is in a light, finely divided 65 form, due to the dispersing agent, and is, thereafter, washed with water four or five times, by decantation or other means excluding compacting thereof into a pasty mass, till practically all 70 the soluble salts have been removed. In this manner, pasty agglomerates can be avoided and satisfactory soap particles are attained by carrying on the precipitation in dilute solutions and in the presence of a dispersing agent.

75 I have also found that the addition of the dispersing agent, either to the alkali soap before precipitation, when making the metallic soap, such as calcium stearate, or to the finished mixing liquid, produces a smoother glaze slurry with the desired greater dispersion of the cement 5 particles, secondary substances and metallic soap.

I prefer to add a small amount, usually one-quarter to one-half of one per cent of dispersing substance, to the finished liquid compound. Passing the finished mixing liquid through a colloid mill 10 is beneficial, to provide a homogeneous mass, especially when the dispersing agent is added after precipitation.

To form the glaze vehicle, or mixing liguid, the "D requisite volume of we er is added, so that the 15 liquid contains one to two per cent of dis rsed solids by weight. This liquid is then used in mixing the combination of pulverized cement material and seconda substanceg to produce a medium slurry orglaze cgmpound which may vary in con- 20 S15 ency, according to the operating conditions under which it is to be applied.

The following is an example of a mixture for producing a red glaze. Ten parts by volume of Portland cement, or a. mixture of cement and pul- 25 verized quartz 1n ratio of two to one, or one to one, respectWo'ne part of ferric oxide, and five parts of mixing li uid, namely, soa and dispersing gent, are thoroughly mixed y mechanical means and are thereafter passed through a fine 30 mesh screen to assure freedom from lumps or foreign matter. It will be understood that the proportions and procedure given foregoing, may be substantially varied and should not be taken as confining the invention to specific quantities $5 and method noted.

The glaze is now ready for application to the product or article, which, for example, may be cement tile, building blocks, or other suitable materials. This may be accomplished by brushing, 40 dipping or spraying the glaze thereon until the desired coating is effected. The glazed objects may be trimmed and then placed in a curing chamber which is kept moist for several days. In order to get best results, the tiles are thereafter placed in storage for a week or longer, to age or cure, until the permanent hardening or setting of the glaze is completed.

It will be seen that the present invention provides a simple, inexpensive composition for glazing, and a convenient process for manufacturing and applying the same on building materials. The dispersing compounds insure homogeneous distribution of the particles, preventing clots and irregularities in the glaze. The materials utilized herein are readily available at a minimum cost, and the several reactions involved are simple and can be practiced without complicated or expensive apparatus. Furthermore, the glaze can be made in most any desirable shade or color.

As various changes may be made in the proportions of the ingredients and in the procedure enumerated above, and as various equivalents may be substituted for those named above, and other methods may be utilized without departing from the spirit of the present invention, it is desired that the above description be understood as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of producing a glaze coating on building materials and the like without the use of high temperatures, which method comprises, mixing pulverized cement material with an aqueous dispersion of a soap practically insoluble in 9* cofiuil on PLASTIC.

water and precipitated in the presence of and ccntaning a soluble ammoniacal salt of tannic acid and a small excess of ammonia, and coating the building material with said mixture.

2. As an article of manufacture, a building material coated with a cold glaze, comprising cement material, silica, a soap substantially insoluble in water, and ammonium tannate adapted to facilitate dispersion of the particles of the glaze.

3. A glazing composition comprising about ten parts by volume of pulverized cement and quartz, and about five parts by volume or an aqueous mixing solution having metallic soap practically insoluble in water and an ammoniacal salt 0! tannic acid dispersed therein.

4. A glazing composition for producing a cold glaze comprising pulverized cement material, and an aqueous dispersion of calcium soap precipitated in the presence of and containing an ammoniacal salt of tannic acid, and an excess of ammonia to provide a slurry free from irregularities.

5. A glazing composition comprising cement material, and a soap practically insoluble in water and containing ammonium tannate adapted to disperse the particles or the glaze to eliminate clots and irregularities.

6. As an article of manufacture, a building material coated with a cold glaze, comprising cement material, a metallic soap practically insoluble in water and ammonium tannate adapted to facilitate dispersion of the particles of the glaze.

7. The method of producing a glaze coating on building materials and the like without the use of high temperatures, which method comprises, mixing pulverized cement material with an aqueous dispersion of a soap practically insoluble in water and precipitated in the presence or and containing a soluble ammoniacal salt of tannic acid, and coating the building material with said mixture.

8. The method of producing a glaze coating on building materials and the like without the use 01' high temperatures, which method comprises,

mixing pulverized cement and siliceous material I) with an equeous dispersion of a metallic soap precipitated in the presence of and containing ammonium tannate, and coating the building with said mixture.

VICTOR P. KRAUSS. I 

